In the aircraft industry particular emphasis is placed on the optimum mechanical design of the structural components for safety. This includes the permanent or temporary attachment of structural members or groups thereof in the interior of aircraft, more particularly the attachment of containers, trolleys or the suspension of overhead stowage containers frown the fuselage. The overhead storage containers and the structural members associated therewith are designed for two situations. One situation is routine operations, during which the structural members have to withstand typical stresses, for example, those caused by turbulence without damage; for example for 60,000 flying hours or for 60,000 take-off-and-landing cycles. If the aircraft is subject to turbulence, the inertia of the luggage causes a certain stressing, for example, six times terrestrial acceleration. This is the usual kind of stressing taking place, for example, at the tail or nose of an aircraft. The second kind of stressing takes place in an emergency, for example, a crash. In that case the structural members must withstand approximately 1.5 times the stressing occurring during flying operations. It is permissible for structural members themselves to be destroyed, but the passengers must not suffer injuries as a result. Overhead stowage containers produced to present-day specifications are designed, for example, for static loads of 9 g (9 times terrestrial acceleration) in the forward and 8.5 g in the downward direction. At the present day, suspension systems constructed with a technically justifiable weight are of course designed to withstand such loadings.
Nowadays, aircraft cabins have to accommodate increasingly heavy items of hand baggage, for example, suitcases, laptop computers, photographic and video equipment. The result is high utilisation of baggage stowage containers with relatively heavy baggage, so that the actual weight of baggage in the baggage stowage containers can be quite high. In an emergency, for example, an emergency landing the items of baggage may turn into dangerous projectiles. In that case the baggage stowage containers may remain undamaged, but their supports are damaged and the baggage storage containers and its contents may drop onto the passengers. Other containers used on board aircraft are also being utilised to an ever increasing extent such as, for example, trolleys taking refreshments and beverages to the passengers.